The Confectioner's Guild: The Confectioner Chronicles, #1

By Claire Luana

A magic cupcake. A culinary killer. The perfect recipe for murder.

 

Wren knew her sweet treats could work wonders, but she never knew they could work magic. She barely has time to wrap her head around the stunning revelation when the head of the prestigious Confectioner's Guild falls down dead before her. Poisoned by her cupcake.

 

Now facing murder charges in a magical world she doesn't understand, Wren must discover the true killer or face the headsman's axe. With the help of a handsome inspector and several new friends, Wren just might manage to learn the ropes, master her new powers, and find out who framed her. But when their search for clues leads to a deep-rooted conspiracy that goes all the way to the top, she realizes that the guild master isn't the only one at risk of death by chocolate.

 

If Wren can't bring the powerful culprit to justice, she and her friends will meet a bittersweet end.

 

The Confectioner's Guild is a delicious YA fantasy mystery. If you like spunky chefs and twisty mysteries with a drizzle of romance, then Claire Luana's scrumptious tale is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.

 

Read the complete Confectioner Chronicles:

The Confectioner's Guild (Book One)

The Confectioner's Coup (Book Two)

The Confectioner's Truth (Book Three)

The Confectioner's Exile (Prequel)

Or grab the entire series for one low price: The Confectioner Chronicles: The Complete Fantasy Mystery Series

• Language: English
• Publisher: Live Edge Publishing
• Release date: Jan 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9780997701883

Claire Luana

Claire Luana grew up in Edmonds, Washington, reading everything she could get her hands on and writing every chance she could get. Eventually, adulthood won out and she turned her writing talents to more scholarly pursuits, graduating from University of Washington School of Law and going to work as a commercial litigation attorney at a mid-sized law firm. While continuing to practice law, Claire decided to return to her roots and try her hand once again at creative writing. Her first novel, Moonburner, was published in 2016 with Soul Fire Press, an imprint of Christopher Matthews Publishing. She is currently working on the sequel,Sunburner. In her (little) remaining spare time, she loves to hike, travel, run, play with her two dogs, and of course, fall into a good book.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Wren had learned early on that trouble comes in all sorts of packages. Even vanilla ones with rose petal frosting.

Tell me about these cupcakes, a cold voice demanded from the storefront.

Wren froze on her stool, her ears perked to listen, the cocoa bean she held in her hand forgotten.

What would you like to know? asked Master Oldrick, his tone light but wary.

Everything.

Wren set down her husking knife on the worktable with the rest of the cracked beans, wiping her hands on her streaked apron. She wanted a look at this customer. She crept across the worn tiles of the kitchen and slowly slid open one of the doors leading to the display case in the front room of Master Oldrick’s confectionery shop. A wave of cold air hit her, the ice that lined the case chilling her face as well as the chocolates. It was a blessed respite from the stickiness of the kitchen, where the air hung limp in August’s hot breath.

Master Oldrick was babbling about the cupcakes now, clearly unsure of the nature of the man’s interest. True, cupcakes are the territory of the Baker’s Guild, but I’ve some friends in that guild, and they don’t mind us having a little fun with the cupcakes. It’s the frosting that sets ours apart. Pure confectional art. The frosting on this one’s so like a rose that you can practically smell its perfume. The ladies love them—they fly off the shelves.

The customer was a stranger, but the cupcake in his hand was not. It was one of Wren’s. Only she could pipe the frosting just right, each petal like a rosy-hued sunset. Master Oldrick’s arthritis was far too bad for him to perform such delicate work, and the other apprentices, Tate and Hazel, were all right for rolling truffle balls and stirring caramel, but they lacked her steady hand with a piping bag, despite being a few months younger than her sixteen years. Each of those cupcakes had taken her ten minutes to decorate, ten minutes scrunched over the countertop as beads of sweat dribbled down her knees and elbows.

Master Oldrick was continuing his detailed exposition of the cupcakes’ finer features, discussing the third-generation ownership of the mill they purchased flour from, the fine sugar imported from Aprica, the fresh cream skimmed off the milk of dairy cows who enjoyed only the finest pastureland below the foothills of Mount Luminis.

The customer held up a hand and Master Oldrick fell silent. Wren narrowed her eyes. Who was this man, and what was his interest in the cupcakes?

Who made the cupcakes? the man demanded.

Ahh, Master Oldrick said nervously. My apprentice Wren, he said, rubbing his neck with a gnarled hand. His gaze flicked to the far display case, where Wren peeked out between the rows of caramels and chocolate chews.

The man turned and his eyes, steely blue above the high collar of his navy coat, met hers. I’ll speak with this Wren.

I’ll fetch her, Master Oldrick said with a bob of his head.

Wren stood and slammed the door shut, her mind whirring. Despite the oppressive heat of the late afternoon, her body had gone cold.

Master Oldrick’s hands were shaking as he came into the kitchen.

What does he want? she hissed. Who is he?

I don’t know, Master Oldrick said. But he has a stern way about him. Was there something wrong with the cupcakes? Could the ingredients have spoiled?

No! she said, affronted. Master Oldrick knew the quality of her work was her only currency in this world. I would never let such a thing happen.

I know. He sighed. You’re the best apprentice I’ve ever had, woman or no.

She rolled her eyes. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard such antiquated views from Oldrick. She found it best to ignore them.

I’ll stand by your work, he continued. Now don’t keep the man waiting.

Wren straightened her stained apron and attempted to smooth the frizzy auburn halo that wreathed her head in this humidity. She marched into the front of the shop, back straight, head high.

You asked for me, sir? she said, getting her first proper look at the customer. He was a tall, thin man with a horsey face topped with thick, dark brows that threatened to join as one. He had an impressive shock of black hair brushed to one side in a fashion that managed to look both windswept and carefully manicured. His slender fingers held her exquisite cupcake before her, as if he were offering her a rose.

His examination of her was as obvious as her scrutiny of him no doubt had been. What did he see? Milky pale skin, elfin features, a small mouth puckered in nervousness? From the slight sneer of his lip, it appeared he found her wanting.

Did you make this cupcake? That cold voice again.

She shivered involuntarily. Yes. Why?

He ignored her question. I need you to come with me.

What? Where? Wren took a step back.

He put the cupcake back in its tasteful pink-and-white-striped box before deftly retying the white ribbon in a perfect bow. And then, task complete, he came around the counter in two strides, grasping her elbow.

Master Oldrick! Wren cried. She struggled against his iron grip, panic rising through her like a pot left to boil.

Master Oldrick bustled through the swinging doors. What’s this? No customers behind the counter.

He’s trying to take me somewhere, Wren explained, trying to draw her master’s attention to the more pressing issue at hand.

Now, sir, what’s this all about? asked Oldrick.

Guild business, the man said.

I’m her master; she’s got no business with the Guild that doesn’t concern me. Is she in some kind of trouble? Master Oldrick asked. I’m sure whatever it is, we can come to terms.

The man readjusted his fingers on Wren’s arm, tightening his clammy grip. With his other hand, he pulled a card from his pocket. I am Grandmaster Callidus of the Confectioner’s Guild. I set the terms. And this girl is coming with me.

Wren glowered at the grandmaster from across the jostling coach, trying to keep the embers of fear tamped down with the weight of her anger. It was a losing battle. She rubbed her damp palms on her dress, curling her fingers into the thin fabric to still her shaking hands. Whatever was going on, it couldn’t be good.

Where are we going? she asked for the third time.

For the third time, he looked at her with a contemptuous flick of his gaze before his icy stare returned to the window.

Despite her unanswered questions, Wren had been keeping a close eye past the lace curtains of the carriage and had a strong suspicion of their destination. As they turned off the packed dirt road onto the smooth granite stones of the Maradis town’s center, her prediction was confirmed: The Confectioner’s Guildhall. Just visible in the distance, nine guildhalls sat like petulant children at the knee of their mother, the gray behemoth Tradehouse where the guilds did business with each other and the rest of the city. The Confectioner’s Guildhall was a massive marble monolith resting in the place of honor at the Tradehouse’s right hand and was arguably the most magnificent structure of the impressive specimens that lined Guilder’s Row.

The carriage came to a stop in front of the steps of the Guildhall and the coachman opened the door. Callidus swept out before her and quickly resumed his position as her captor, grasping her arm as soon as she cleared the steps. It was clear he didn’t intend to let her escape. Wren’s stomach flipped. What was there to escape from?

Wren struggled up the towering steps of the Guildhall, scraping her shins as Callidus pulled her up. Five steps for the five levels of the Guild: apprentice, journeyman, artisan, master, and grandmaster. Some designer had been so intent on his symbolism that he had thrown practicality straight out the window.

As servants in the Guild’s brown and gold livery opened the wide wooden doors before them, Wren found herself pulled through the antechamber of the Guildhall for the second time in her life. And for the second time, she found herself wishing she had something better to wear.

Her first glimpse of the Guildhall had been four years ago. That time, it had been Master Oldrick’s fat fingers gripping the flesh of her arm. She’d been a grimy orphan, fresh off the streets of Maradis.

It had started innocently enough. She had been rifling through the trash in the alley behind his shop and had found a worn piping bag, mostly empty save for a dollop of shimmering green frosting. Any other street kid would have squirted the whole bag of sugar into their mouth, but the frosting had called to her. She knew such an act would be a waste, a sacrilege. Crouched under the eaves of the building to keep warm, she had grasped the smooth parchment paper of the bag and decorated the hard shell of the snowbank with a pattern of ivy leaves. The leaves had sparkled against the snow in the low light of the alley, mesmerizing her, pulling her into a daydream where she was surrounded by lush green foliage rather than frozen garbage.

Master Oldrick had woken her with a kick in the dim gray morning, but as she’d scrambled away down the alley, he’d called to her. Stop!

She’d kept running.

I’ll feed you! he’d called.

She had frozen, looking over one shoulder, her gnawing stomach compelling her to turn around. He had fed her half a loaf of warm bread smeared with butter and jam, along with a glass of sweet milk. Once she had eaten, he’d made her scrub her hands in scalding water until they’d turned pink and had given her an audition. Wren had swirled ganache, puffed powdered sugar, drizzled white chocolate and piped more frosting. When she had tried to sneak a taste of the ganache, Master Oldrick had whacked her hand so hard with a wooden spoon that she’d felt the vibrations in her teeth.

Never. Ever. Eat. The. Confections, he’d said.

But despite her faux pas, she had passed his test. Because that afternoon, he had marched her, dressed in a tattered woolen smock, into the marble cavern of the Confectioner’s Guildhall. And she had become his apprentice.

The interior of the Guildhall looked exactly the same as it had four years ago, but for the exchange of one sour-faced captor for another. The walls were made of creamy veined marble, and the tall pillars around the circular antechamber rose to form a massive dome coated in gold filigree. A magnificent crystal chandelier hung from the dome, dusting the room with sparkles of sugary light.

Wren eyed Callidus sideways as she struggled to match his pace. Guildmembers seemed to part before him as he walked, nodding deferentially and sidestepping out of his way. He didn’t acknowledge any of them with so much as a smile or nod in return. So he was someone important. And, Wren decided, he was most definitely an ass.

They ascended a twisting staircase at the far end of the antechamber, heading towards the upper floors. Where were they going? She could ask Callidus, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that his silent treatment was flustering her. He probably wouldn’t tell her, anyway.

They continued up two more levels until they reached a floor that was hushed and empty. Two guards in brown and gold flanked the top of the stair, their golden spears resting on the polished parquet floor. Their uniforms bore the Guild’s symbol on the breast, a golden whisk and spoon crossed like the letter X.

Wren’s heart hammered in her chest as they came to a halt before a carved mahogany door. Why had she been summoned here? Was she being kicked out of the Guild? Had there been something wrong with the cupcakes? They were so deep in the Guildhall, if she screamed now, would anyone hear her?

Callidus released her arm and rapped on the door three times with his pale knuckles.

Chapter 2

The door swung open and Wren almost laughed in relief at the sight. A short ruddy man with a rotund belly and a thick head of snowy white hair stood before her. He reminded her of nothing so much as one of her cupcakes, the red velvet kind sprinkled with coconut shavings.

Come in, come in, he said, waving them into the room enthusiastically. He wore a crisp shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing substantial forearms covered with downy white hair. As she passed him, she caught a whiff of butterscotch.

Have a seat, my dear. Have a seat, he repeated, motioning to one of the two studded leather chairs that sat before his huge desk. Not at all the dungeon she had expected—the room was bright and cheerful, with tall windows letting in streams of sluggish summer sun.

Wren sat, smoothing her faded cotton dress over her knees.

Callidus, feel free to sit, the man said, motioning to the other chair.

She shied away from it involuntarily.

I’ll stand, Callidus replied, leaning against a bookshelf by the door.

Of course you will. The man paused for a moment. I hope Callidus didn’t scare you too terribly. He lacks something of a bedside manner.

Wren laughed, a forced bark that belied her nervousness. He was… mysterious, she admitted, thinking it best not to antagonize him.

Well, let’s put the mystery to an end. I am Guildmaster Kasper, Head of the Confectioner’s Guild. And you are?

Wren, she said. Wren Confectioner, she added, in the Alesian style. In the country of Alesia, a guildmember who didn’t wish to keep their father’s surname, or who didn’t know their father’s name, could take the name of their craft as their surname.

It’s a delight to meet you, Wren, Kasper said. Did Callidus explain why we summoned you?

No.

Of course not. He pursed his lips. You’re no doubt wondering why you’re here. Callidus, where are those cupcakes?

Callidus dropped the box on the desk between them before resuming his statue-like pose against the bookcase.

Excellent, Kasper said, opening the box. He removed one of the cupcakes and turned it before him, admiring it from various angles. These are magnificent, my dear. I’ve known masters who couldn’t make such masterpieces. You’re what, an artisan?

Apprentice, guildmaster.

Apprentice! his brown eyes flew open. For how long?

Four years, guildmaster.

Four years! He harrumphed. Outrageous. You could cook circles around some of my best guildmembers. Your master will be hearing from me.

Thank you, guildmaster, she said, keeping the vindicated smile from her face. She knew Master Oldrick had been lying about her not being ready for a promotion within the Guild, she just hadn’t figured out what to do about it. Oldrick wasn’t a bad man—only greedy. And promoting her meant paying her higher wages.

I can tell you have a gift for confections. Such gifts are rare, even within the Guild, Kasper said. His eyes gleamed in the sunlight as he studied her, setting the cupcake before her. You’ve sampled your confections, haven’t you?

She shook her head. Master Oldrick forbids it. More for the customers. And the cash register.

Guildmaster Kasper sputtered, slapping his hand on the desk. This Oldrick fellow, I like him less and less! How do you make chocolate if you don’t taste it?

I follow the recipe. And get it right the first time. No need to mention that she had stolen a taste or two when Oldrick wasn’t looking.

Quite right, quite right. I suppose that explains how skinny you are. No respectable confectioner should be skinny! He slapped the girth of his stomach and laughed, a warm husky sound. Confections are what make the world go ’round, don’t you agree?

Wren cracked a smile despite herself. His enthusiasm was infectious. The world would be a happier place if that were true.

"But it is true," he said, as if he had a secret he couldn’t wait to share. Kasper reached in the breast pocket of his shirt and pulled out a heavy gold coin. It was an Alesian gold crown, more money than Wren made in a year. He handed it to her.

Wren cradled it reverently. What’s this for?

Flip it, he said. If you get heads, you can keep it.

Sending a prayer up to the gods, she flipped and caught it, slapping it on the back of her other hand. The stately profile of Mount Luminis gleamed on the surface. Tails. Trying to still her disappointment, she put the crown back on the desk.

Bad luck, he said, the corners of his eyes crinkling in a smile. Eat the cupcake. You’ll feel better. In fact, I think I’ll have one myself.

She looked at him, unsure of his game. But the cupcake did look good, and she had missed lunch today, what with the bustle of the shop. He was already unwrapping his own, taking a monstrous bite that enveloped half the cupcake in one go. She shrugged and retrieved hers, unwrapping the lace around its base.

The first bite was the best. The sweet vanilla flavor of the fluffy cupcake mingled with the silky sugar of the frosting, hitting her taste buds like a cotton candy cloud. She closed her eyes as she chewed, trying to commit the pleasure of the moment to memory. She opened her eyes and found Kasper watching her with an amused expression on his face.

Ehts gud, she admitted around the bite of cupcake. Her body buzzed pleasantly as she swallowed.

Yes, it is, he said, licking frosting off his fingers.

She set the rest of the cupcake on its wrapper on the desk. It seems a shame to eat it, she said. It’s so pretty. I love making those.

And your love comes through in every bite, Kasper said. He tossed the coin back to her. Fancy another go?

She shrugged and flipped the coin, thinking that this was very unlike how she imagined this meeting would go. When she turned the coin over she laughed with delight. The face of the former King Leon shined up at her. Heads!

I guess your luck has changed, Kasper said, as pleased as she.

Callidus made an exasperated noise against the wall.

Best two out of three? Kasper asked.

No, thank you, she said, clutching the coin in her sweaty palm, dreaming about what she could do with the money. A new dress that wasn’t three inches too short. An oil lamp for her room, rather than the stubby candles she had been using. A new palette knife without the wobbly handle of her current model.

Go ahead, said Kasper. You can keep the crown even if you lose. Humor me.

Wondering if it was a trap, Wren nevertheless did as she was told, flipping the coin once again.

Heads! she said.

Try again.

Another toss.

Heads!

One more time.

She tossed again.

Heads, she said, shaking her head in amazement.

What if I asked you to throw tails, he said.

Getting into it now, she tossed the coin again and hit tails. Not once, but three more times.

I think you get the point, he said.

She looked at him in amazement. Is the coin… enchanted?

"No, my dear. You are enchanted."

What? She shook her head, confused. Trust me, I’m about the least lucky person in the city of Maradis.

"You were the least lucky person."

Get to the point, man. I’ve got places to be, Callidus growled from his place at the bookshelf.

Don’t begrudge me a bit of theatrics, Kasper said. It’s not every day I get to reveal one of our biggest secrets to a new initiate.

Callidus huffed, and Wren looked back and forth between them. She was completely lost now.

Kasper stood and came around the desk, picking up the cupcake and sitting against the desk.

This cupcake is magic, he said. It imparts luck upon whoever consumes it.

An incredulous laugh escaped her throat. The man had to be mad. It was the only explanation.

I assure you, it’s no laughing matter. Such an item, in the wrong hands, could change the tide of nations. Wars. Destinies.

I don’t understand, she said. She was overcome with the urge to take her gold crown and get the hell out of this man’s office.

The guilds regulate the practice of their craft within Alesia. But do you truly think that a bunch of chocolatiers or bakers or winemakers warrant this kind of influence? He waved his hand at the office, at the decadent guildhall around them. No. This is the secret behind Alesia’s political and economic success. The secret behind the royal family. A very special few individuals have an ability. An ability to imbue food with magic. You are one such individual. When you lovingly crafted this cupcake, frosting each rose petal, you filled it with magic. With luck. So that whoever ate it—their life would be forever changed.

Wren’s mouth fell open as she looked from the cupcake to Kasper’s face. Could it be true? It was insanity. Magic. True, there were tales of magic. Witches and sorcerers and genies in bottles. But they were children’s tales. There was no true magic in the world. Just the grim reality of working hard until your body broke down and they laid you in the ground. If there had been anything special or magical about her, her life would have gone very differently up to this point. But she looked down at the golden coin, sitting so mundanely in her hand. She couldn’t deny that something strange had happened to that coin.

It is much to take in at first, I know. Kasper set down the cupcake. But I assure you, it’s all true. And now you understand why we can’t have products like this, made by a person like yourself, out in the world.

Wren stilled, her body growing as taut as a wire. Here it was, what some part of her had been expecting all along. Girls like her didn’t happen upon magic cupcakes and a fortune in gold. What do you mean to do with me? Wren asked, grasping the supple leather arms of her chair. She glanced at Callidus, leaning by the door. Is this why he had stayed? To intercept her when she tried to make a run for it?

My, you are a skittish thing! I’m sorry, my dear. I didn’t mean for that to sound so ominous, Kasper said. We want to train you. You have a rare gift, and it is valuable to this Guild and the king. Only the highest levels within the Guild know of this secret—the grandmasters of the Guild, like Callidus and myself. You will become one of us.

Words fled as a sliver of hope surfaced within her. She looked around at the room they sat in, at the casual luxuries that she had never dreamed of having. Could he be serious?

I assure you it will be quite a pleasant life, Kasper said. We’re not all so serious as Callidus. There will be other students for you to learn with, friends to make. Of course, you cannot share the true nature of this secret with them, but that won’t be too difficult. What do you say?

Wren looked between Kasper and Callidus, her thoughts spinning. Though she didn’t generally trust people, she had found over the last few years that she had a knack for reading them. Despite Kasper’s seemingly calm exterior, lines around his kind eyes betrayed his tension. I don’t have a choice in this, do I? she asked, realizing the true nature of this summons.

I’m afraid not, my dear, but it is truly an honor we are bestowing on you. Besides, he said, leaning forward. Do you have somewhere better to be?

She thought of the streets of Maradis, the other grubby orphans who had been her family but were now scattered, no doubt dead or selling themselves as whores or mercenaries. She thought of Master Oldrick, refusing to make her a journeyman for four years despite the fact that her skill had surpassed his long ago. It was her turn to sigh. No, she said. I don’t.

Excellent! Kasper clapped his hands and stood, turning to the wooden credenza lining the wall behind his desk. A toast is in order.

He poured three glasses of what looked like a sweet rosé wine from a crystal decanter. He offered one to Callidus, who declined with a curt shake of his head.

More for me, Kasper grumbled, handing another glass to Wren. Wren wished she could decline, too, but feared offending the guildmaster. Stand up, stand up, Kasper said, and she obliged, feeling a sudden poignancy to the moment.

Now, before we toast to our newest future grandmaster, I need a promise from you. Do you solemnly swear that you will not speak of the truth of your magic, of our magic, to anyone save Callidus, myself, and the others we say are safe?

I do, she agreed. She wasn’t sure she even believed what he was saying, so there seemed to be little danger in making such a promise.

Excellent! Cheers! He clinked his glass to hers and took a healthy swallow. She took a nervous sip of the wine, letting the effervescent flavors of peach and grass swirl across her tongue. She had sampled wine a few times before but hadn’t yet developed a palate for it. Watching her father drink himself to death had been enough to quell any burgeoning interest in alcohol.

The instant she swallowed, the wine’s sweet finish changed, turning hot and bitter on her tongue.

Callidus strode forward and grabbed the glass from her hand before she could drop it.

Her tongue burned, and when she went to open her mouth, she found she couldn’t. It was glued shut. She backed up in panic, knocking into the leather chair, looking from one man to another with wide eyes. She clutched at her throat, grasping fingers leaving red trails down her skin. Had they poisoned her? What was the point of all this show if they were just going to kill her?

Easy now, Kasper said. It will pass in a moment, my dear.

He was right. Already the burning sensation was dying, leaving only the tingling aftereffects of the wine and the thudding of her heartbeat in her ears. She opened her mouth wide, gasping in air. What… What did you do to me? Her eyes were rimmed with salty tears.

Standard procedure, my dear. We’ve found it’s best to do it quickly, like pulling out a splinter.

Do what quickly?

You are bound to your oath now. You are physically unable to break your word, to tell our secret. Your secret.

How? she croaked, her hands still at her throat, working her jaw as if she could stop it from sealing shut once again. The memory clung to her like taffy.

Our Guild isn’t the only guild with true magic. Vintner’s Guild, he said, holding the decanter up to the light. The magic of truth and lies. Secrets and whispers. Very helpful stuff. In the right hands.

Kasper’s pleasant demeanor hadn’t changed, but Wren shuddered, eyeing him warily.

Guildmaster Kasper came around the desk and put his arm around her, leading her towards the door. Wren shrank away from his touch, but he didn’t seem to notice. It is a lot to take in, but I promise you will be safe here. A world of wonder is now open to you. Learn. Discover. Explore. And make more cupcakes. He squeezed her shoulder and released her into Callidus’s care. Callidus will see you to Guildmistress Greer, who will take care of getting you situated. I’ll come see how you are acclimating tomorrow.

Thank you, she said haltingly. She felt faint from the whirlwind of the last few minutes and was content to follow Callidus’s grim visage into the hallway like an obedient puppy. Kasper said she would be safe here. Dare she believe him? She had learned through trial and painful error what it took to be safe in this world. Blend in. Work hard and don’t cause trouble. These things had kept her safe at Master Oldrick’s. Would it be enough here?

Callidus towed her back down the corridor towards the staircase. As they reached the landing, a muffled crash sounded behind them, emanating from Guildmaster Kasper’s office.

Callidus whirled and darted back down the hallway with startling speed, bursting into the office. The two guards looked at each other and followed suit, spears held before them, surcoats billowing behind.

Unsure of what to do, Wren drifted back down the corridor towards the office, not wanting to intrude but overcome with curiosity. When she reached the open door, she gasped.

Kasper was on the floor, his face an unnatural shade of purple. Foam bubbled from his mouth. His body shook and convulsed as Callidus and the guards tried to hold him down, shouting at each other for antidotes and doctors.

But it was over before it began. Kasper gave a final gurgling breath, convulsed once more, and fell still.

Wren’s hands flew to her mouth as bile rose in her throat. Kasper’s brown eyes, eyes that had sparkled with life

Reviews for The Confectioner's Guild

[bm2ng · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book in the new series, The Confectioner Chronicles. In this world, some people are Gifted with the art of infusing magic into food or drink. Wren is discovered as a Gifted Confectioner and invited to join the secret Confectioners Guild. She is offered a position and is given a potion that makes her unable to disclose her new secret. Suddenly, the Guildmaster is murdered and it appears he was poisoned by one of Wren's cupcakes. She is accused of murder and set to be executed. Wren and her new friends have to find out who the real murderer is before the King and Inquisitor get back in town. Wren has her own secrets and doesn't know who to trust. The story is full of romance, mystery and intrigue and is well written. I thought it was a little laughable to have magic cupcakes but hey, it's a fantasy. I also wondered why the characters didn't use the magic objects more often. All in all it was a fun mystery and quick read. I'm not sure if I'll continue reading the rest in the series but maybe I will for a little light reading. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Weapenry Co-Op in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[krau0098 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I got this book through Kindle Unlimited and was really excited to read it. I have a soft spot for books about magical desserts and have been loving series such as Love, Sugar, Magic by Anna Meriano and The Spellwork Syndicate by Lola Dodge. I was hoping this would be another amazing magical dessert series, but I was a bit disappointed. I just had so much trouble staying engaged in this story.This book is about a young woman named Wren who gets asked to join The Confectioner’s Guild after she finds out she can imbue her cupcakes with magic. Shortly after her introduction to the Guild she is accused of murdering the very guild master who admitted her. Wren must work quickly, with her newfound friends, to unravel the mystery of who actually killed the confectioner’s guild master.This book just did too much, too fast, too soon for me. Just as the reader is getting to know Wren and being immersed in this amazing world of magical food guilds...BAM! suddenly Wren is accused of murder. The story quickly turns from this amazing magical story to a fairly simple murder mystery. All the fascinating magic is pushed to the background as Wren struggles to find the true murderer.There is a sweet little romance between Wren and the lead investigator that I enjoyed. I also think a lot of the side characters had potential, but ended up being underdeveloped. The world of these magical guilds was intriguing, but again it felt under-realized.I wanted to love this book so much but ended up almost stopping it a number of times. I just could not stay engaged with the story or the characters. They had potential to be amazing but just never got there. The writing was okay but didn’t flow very well, I really had to concentrate and work to read this story and I think that’s why my mind wandered away from it so easily.Overall I enjoyed the potential this book had but was disappointed by the execution. There are so many cool ideas here and they all ended up taking a backseat to a simple murder mystery. There were many characters that had potential to be intriguing but they also ended up underdeveloped. I, sadly, won’t be continuing this series.

[karenbayly · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fast and enoyable read. I could do without so much romantic detail - romance is fine, but I prefer more left to the imagination. However, that's a small quibble. The rest is fun and fanciful.